Iran Reportedly Ready to Temporarily Stop Nuclear Program if US Lifts Sanctions

JAKARTA - Iran is rumored to be willing to temporarily suspend its nuclear program, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions by the United States.

The New York Post reported that US and Iranian diplomats were meeting in Oman to discuss the situation in the Middle East and prevent an escalation in the region. This meeting marks the first negotiations after a months-long pause triggered by the open phase of the Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025, after five rounds of previous consultations.

The Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US team was led by President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Ahead of Friday's talks, the two delegations held separate meetings with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, according to reports from Iranian state media.

Previously, NBC News reported, citing US officials, that President Donald Trump's administration did not have a clear understanding of what Washington expected to achieve if military action against Iran began.

On February 4, Trump said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "should be very worried," and threatened to do "very bad things" to Iran if the country decided to continue its nuclear program at a new facility.

Trump also said in January a "big armada" was heading to Iran, adding he hoped Tehran would agree to negotiate and sign a "fair and equitable" deal that involved a total halt to nuclear weapons.

The president warned that if no agreement is reached on Iran's nuclear program, a US attack on the country would be "much worse" than previous attacks.